Advancing the news media literacy of young Australians

This project responds to changes in the production, experience and consumption of news media by young Australians. In our recent research*, we have identified several barriers that prevent news media literacy from being developed in the home and in schools in a meaningful and effective way. This project will document, analyse and address some of these barriers. The project will respond to emerging questions regarding the changing role of news in relation to active citizenship and democracy, and the challenge of ‘fake news’ or disinformation. It will achieve this by:

• Contributing to the design, implementation and evaluation of a new major semi-permanent exhibition at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra, to be launched in 2019.
• Developing a media literacy framework for the digital age to support the design of news engagement and learning materials.
• Engaging young Australians and school teachers as co-designers of the Museum’s news exhibition content and news literacy learning resources and activities.

*Notley, T, Dezuanni, M, Zhong, HF & Howden, S 2017, News and Australia’s children: how young people access, perceive and are affected by the news, Research Report, Sydney, Crinkling News, Western Sydney University and Queensland University of Technology.